Well, it’s happening isn’t it? Right before our now slightly vision impaired eyes – we are getting older. And daily we’re faced (pardon the pun) with a visage that is different to the one we had a decade ago. What we once could get away with – no foundation, a smidgen of lip-gloss, mascara and a devil- may-care attitude is now far from cute. We need more. A lot more. But certainly not too much. Au contraire. We want the right amount of makeup to feel and look like our cute selves again.Here are my top 5 makeup tips as we age.

Foundation – The Mothership of all Makeup Products

When your foundation is wrong, you’re wrong, and there is not a more urgent time in one’s life, to get this right, than as we age. And many, confused with the mixed messages of wearing -too-much-make-up-as-you age-is-bad, have thrown in the towel – opting to wear none at all or just powder (the horror). So, my foundie tips are as follows:

Colour – Make sure you’re not choosing a foundie that is too pale. I would go as far to say, choose a foundie that is even a smidgen warmer if you do need colour, which of course you do – you’re old. Nothing will age you faster than a foundation that is too pale. Too dark is also hideous but not as immediately aging. I often match the foundie to the décolletage, which is normally sun-damaged to the eye-balls (thanks Australia) and holds quite a bit of colour. This is a good guide. But, my friends, choosing the right colour is only half the battle: the texture is the next crucial element of choosing the right foundation.

As you age, your once possibly blemishless skin now carries the markings of several decades of life – pigmentation (thanks Australia), broken capillaries, fine lines & the added bonus of your skin’s lagging elasticity and lack of moisture. So, a foundation that can replace all of the above plus camouflage some of the nasties that you certainly didn’t order is the key. Opt for liquid foundations, or light crème foundies with a drop of a luminous liquid that add luster to your skin while having a smidge of coverage as opposed to powders. There are plenty of great BB, CC creams and liquids out there to add luminosity to that old face of yours.

It Cosmetics CC Cream & CC cream Illumination

Face Atelier Foundation

Bobbi Brown BB cream SPF 30+

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops

Nude Lip No-Nos

While a honeyed nude lip looks amaaazing on JLo, you may find that it does nothing for you other than make you look washed out and unwell. Best, when it comes to a lippie, is to opt for a mid-range coloured lipstick.I also find, as I AGE that a lipstick is more flattering than just popping on a gloss (I am so becoming my mother).The glosses on their own don’t have the guts that are really needed in adding the colour to my pout that old age has literally eroded. So, a nice, rich, hydrating lippie as opposed to a 90s matte is the way to go, AND with a bit of colour. So, no, you don’t have to be sporting a statement pout every time you leave the house (we’re not a 50s housewife) but a dash of colour is going to be your friend as you age.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Colour

M.A.C Lipstick in Cremesheen & Amplified

Too Faced La Crème Colour

Winged Eyeliner Will Highlight all the Flaws of your Aging Peepholes

As we all know, unless we are living in a cave without the Internet, all the kids now are into winger eyeliner. And good on them. If you have the time, the steady hand and the expertise to smash it out of the park with winged eyeliner – go for it. But as you age, you don’t have any of these things. Who has the time to perfect a winged liner? No one between 40-50 that’s for sure. But another thing about the wing is – it can really highlight the asymmetry that is now quite apparent in your face. You know how you have always had that one eye that was a little sprightlier than the other? Well now, that one cute eye really has to hold the fort, because the not-as-good-eye is totally letting the team down, and winged eyeliner will accentuate this conundrum. The far more forgiving option is to whack a smokey metallic bronze or gunmetal grey eyeliner around those peepholes and smoke it out. The metallic or shimmer of the prod you choose will add some light to those dull peepholes of yours. And smokiness will be a softer option than those hard wings.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar Crème Eyeshadow

Nudestix Sheer Eye Colour

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick

Concealer Crimes

Of course, having lived for 45 years or more, you’re tired; exhausted in fact and you have the massive under eye baggage department to prove it. A temptation might be to fill that cavernous area with LOTS of concealer. Kiss of death. Nothing will age you faster than a crap-load of concealer AND in a light colour (the absolute horror) right up to the lashline. I tend to choose peachier, warmer tones to put under the eye-hole, in soft liquid consistencies (NEVER a dense cream prod) and I only carefully place them in the crevice of the under eye, NOT up to lash-line, as this will just sit in more lines and make you look OLDER.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Concealer

Blush is Your Friend

Another tangent I have noticed with my aging friends is the misapplication or the actual rejection of blush. As you age, blush is your friend. It’s the cosmetic link to the young you and the now older, less vibrant version. What you’ve lost in advancement of years, you have now gained in an artfully applied, crème blush. Yes, I do prefer the crème variety, but of course a powder can also do the trick, especially if it has some sheen. Colour choice is imperative here. Many have unsuccessfully tried blush but because of poor colour choice have come out looking clownesque. Choose a mid range colour to your skin tone – this is the safest option. I normally go for peachy, pinky or rosey tones.

Melli Cosmetics Sweet Cheeks Cream Blush

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Fresh Melon

Stila Convertible Colour in Gerbera

M.A.C CCB in Keep It Cool

A plop of colour on the old cheek-cushions is sure to turn back the hands of time. Well, sort of. But it will certainly make you look healthier, and that, my friends, is the aim of the game – appearing fresh, healthy and way more alive than you possibly feel.

While perched on a roof-top bar, imbibing beverages with my lovely friend on a steamy Friday evening, I glanced at my dear companion and couldn’t help but to notice thatshe indeed had become quite the hot mess.Foundation was now just a grimy coating of sweat and muck, eye makeup – bleary; hardly a remnant of the blush I had meticulously applied on her some hours earlier – all-in-all: untidy. It wasn’t until I sauntered to the bathroom, that I realised, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Continue reading →

Let’s just say it out loud: The 67th Emmy Awards was all about The Strapless Dress. And why not? In scorching temps of 41-degrees (holy Moly hair and make-up) who would want to be caught out in a neck to floor Georgio Armani Prive sequined extravaganza? Yes, Jaimie Alexander, I’m talking to you. Swelter much? Continue reading →

Really, is there anything better than having a fantastic salon experience and getting the locks styled to their glamorous best?It is one of my favourite experiences in life.So, it was with a kick in my step, that I headed to Element Hair in Woollahra for an afternoon of hair pampering. Hello, heaven. Continue reading →

The smatter of spring is in the air.That unmistakable stir in the atmos that something exciting is about to happen.Longer sunny days, balmier temps – it all points to the inevitable – sleeveless dresses and swimwear.And hello – I am NOT READY!Continue reading →

Is it just me or has everyone got friends who are either on vacance, or just about to hit the road, plane, yacht or ALL THREE!Take my friend Fiona for instance – she is soon to fly to Croatia, where she will be boarding a yacht from Hvar Island then island hopping around several archipelagos before finishing her trip in Portugal, Casablanca, Marrakesh and Morocco. Hideous! Couldn’t think of anything worse. Continue reading →

Well, you can teach an old dog new tricks as I learnt during my fantastic makeover session with my pal Normie.

See, even though I’ve been a make-up artist since the pre-Jurassic era, and fancy myself a wiz at giving other people make-up advice, I found myself in a deep make-up rut.So, FINALLY it was my turn to be at the other end of the brush and I can tell you – I LIKED IT. No mirror was safe from my loving gaze. Continue reading →

How does one make small talk with an Olympic athlete? This was the conundrum I found myself in a couple of days ago when I was commissioned to make-up 11 Olympic athletes.

Normally, I fancy myself as being quite the have-a-chat and with all walks of life, (being a make-up artist and all), yet on this occasion, I found myself conversationally stumped. Nada. Nothing to offer. Continue reading →

Glam friends, if you are not already aware, I am one of the 10 finalists for The Glow’s Beauty Vlogger Idol competition.And I’m really quite chuffed about it. The prize is a 12-week contract with The Glow producing beauty videos, so it’s right up my alley. Not that you could tell if you read my accompanying bio/blurb. Hello! Did someone forget to mention her You Tube Channel, this beauty blog or really ANYTHING mentionable about herself? Maybe. Continue reading →